As the title implies, this is an Alice-centric CYOA. However, other routes are possible, but only if Anon can find them.

I say nothing more.

---

There is a nice, satisfying 'pop!' as you stretch your interlaced hands out behind your head. You've been playing SWR online with some friends for hours on end, and finally fatigue is catching up to you. It's 3 a.m. in the morning, afterall.

Shutting down the computer, you give thanks that tomorrow is Saturday: it wouldn't do to be late to college, especially with how close you are to the semester's end.

You go out your bedroom door into your apartment's small kitchen/living room space. Across from you is a second door to your apartment mate's room; he's already gone to bed hours ago. Ignoring that for now, you grab a snack from the fridge to subdue your inner beast.

Satiated, you turn back towards your room to get some sleep for yourself.

Only to find your door isn't quite there.

In front of your is what appears to be, for all intents and purposes, a rip in space. You've read enough sci-fi to have a bit of a clue, but you'd never in your life have expected to see such a thing, nevermind in your apartment.

You peer closer at it. This thing looks REALLY familiar... the backdrop of endless eyes staring out at you, those red ribbons that are somehow, bizarrely, tying off the ends of the rip...

There's suddenly a black, vaguely human silhouette obscuring the eyes in the rip. What appears to be a white-gloved arm suddenly reaches out of the gap towards you. Your brain suddenly has alarms going off all along the insides of your head.

---

[ ] Panic and run. [ ] Steady boy, slowly back away out of the arm's reach. [ ] Take it easy. Maybe it just wants a handshake?

You blink twice, shake your head three times, then spin in place once. Nope, the gap is still there.

"This shit is good!"

You're tripping, you've got to be. You don't know how, but a hallucination is the only logical reason why Yukari, a character from a freaking videogame, would be opening a tear in time and space in your apartment.

Oh, you assure yourself, this is the awesome. You've always had that wish that maybe somehow Gensokyo was indeed real, and it's just never known to the real world.

You grin like a fool, which makes the hand pause as if even Yukari is surprised at your suddenly one-eighty in demeanor. Well, if you're going to hallucinate, you might as well have some fun with it. Stepping back a few steps, you then barrel right for the gap, shouting "WASSUP YUKARIN!" as you dive through.

Blacking out wasn't part of the plan, however.

An indeterminate time later, your eyes open of their own accord, like you had just woken from one helluva long nap. You seem to be lying on your back on something soft.

Suddenly, there's a rustling noise to your left. You turn your head in that direction, and the first thing your eyes focus on is...

I'll be going on a roadtrip that will last three-four days. I'm bringing my laptop along in hope that I can update this daily, but just in case I'm letting you all know why if there's no update for that amount of time.

You see brown boots, with interlacing straps up the front, connected to a pair of legs beneath a red dress. That means it's a person, or so you hope as your eyes travel further up.

Oh boy. You let out a bit of air at this as you sit yourself up. A pretty girl with green hair tied in front under her chin with a red ribbon, a second and more ornate red ribbon atop her head, and wearing a red and brown dress lined with white frills has just stepped out into the clearing which you occupy. You know who she is, but not really an indepth knowledge.

Hina's hand flutters up to her mouth as her eyes widen in surprise. "Oh my... would you happen to be lost, Sir? The Forest of Magic is not a place for humans to travel alone."

You collect your thoughts. This is one freakishly realistic hallucination: the softness of the ground beneath your fingers, the smell and sounds of the forest, and the curse goddess Hina Kagiyama standing in front of you. If you remember right, she brings misfortune to any she meets despite being friendly to humans and wanting to help them.

Well, so far no Rumia or other wild youkai have appeared to give you a bad end, so you relax a bit as you stand up.

Hina cocks her head to the side at your odd response, but only briefly as she smiles again. "May I know your name? It's been quite a while since I've been able to meet a human, not many have come to the mountain recently."

You politely give your name, and she then responds in kind, affirming for you that she is indeed Hina. Not like you needed the confirmation, but hey.

"EYE'M THE STRONGEST!"

Okay, who the hell uses "Eye" instead of "I"? How can you even tell just hearing it? Fun, you get to meet Hina and Cirno right off the bat.

Or well, waitwhatthehell.

A small, round-ish shape hops up next to Hina's leg, and you notice the six crystal-like wings floating in the air behind it. The thing has ice-blue hair and a kinda-dumb, confident expression on its face.

"Take it easy, Mister Human! Eye'm the strongest!"

Then it just sits there, staring at you blankly with its mouth hanging open.

Hina smiles as she looks down. "Oh, this is my friend, Cirnoff. She's quite a lively one sometimes."

[ ] "Take it easy!"[ ] Since when were Yukkuri canon...? [ ] EYE'M THE STRONGEST [ ] Fieldgoal the sucker [ ] Ignore it, you've got a cute curse goddess for company right now

[X] "Take it easy!"[X] Since when were Yukkuri canon...? [X] Ignore it, you've got a cute curse goddess for company right now [X] Wait, a Yukkuri? Think back to those horror comics and PANIC. RIP AND TEAR MAY BE REQUIRED.

Something I forgot to mention at the beginning, but I've already done it anyways. Feel free to do write-in responses for any story post, and if I like the idea enough, I'll use it. I won't use blatantly out-of-character responses, however, unless I feel like writing out an amusing Bad End or something similar.

---

"Since when were yukkuri canon...?" you wonder aloud as you look at the sentient food item, which simply stares back at you with that blank, stupefied gaze. It's the kind of expression a person would wear when they forgot what they were about to say, or have no idea what's going on.

Weird.

Well, whatever. More importantly, you have some things to discuss with Hina. Turning back towards her, you brush your hands off on your pants. You take that moment to glance at yourself. Best you can tell, you are wearing almost exactly what you had on when you dived through the gap: a long-sleeved gray shirt with a red stripe across the chest, a pair of slim white pants with a nondescript belt, and black slip-on shoes. You weren't wearing the shoes before gapping, but they ARE yours, thus you assume Yukari gapped them along for you. Remember to thank her next time you see her.

The clearing you are standing in is relatively small, maybe only fifteen meters across. Trees, bushes and other greenery decorate the edges: it's honestly as generic as you can get for a clearing in the middle of a forest. The only point of interest is Hina standing in front of you, who is looking at you curiously as she opens her mouth to speak.

"Yukkuri canon? What does that mean?"

Well, standing this close, of course she was going to hear you. You shrug, saying nonchalantly, "Last I checked they're not official. Unless ZUN got really drunk this time and snuck them into UFO. Boy that would probably piss off quite a few people, hahaha."

Hina joins Cirnoff in staring off into space towards you, although her expression is more clearly one of confusion. "I'm very sorry, I don't think I follow...?"

There's something nagging you in the back of your head. Is this really a hallucination? Usually when you have Touhou-related dreams, they play along with breaking the fourth wall and know who ZUN is without question. As it's now your turn to be a bit confused, Cirnoff finally figures out that you're ignoring her, and she starts bouncing around you in indignation.

"EYE'M THE STRONGEST! TAKE IT EASY, HUMAN! EYE'M THE STRONGEST!"

You wonder if this is supposed to be Hina's curse power already kicking in.

Oh, that's right. Yukkuri always reply to a "Take it easy!" with the same. No wonder the Cirno-yukkuri is agitated, you effectively ignored her "Hello!" to you.

"Take it eashy!" you say back to the manju. She stops jumping around and settles down in front of you, a satisfied grin on her face. For added effect, you say "I can take it really easy with the strongest here to protect us."

Cirnoff gives a happy "Yuu!" in response, and bounces off further into the clearing. She didn't seem to notice at all that you had delivered the line completely monotone, since you obviously didn't believe a speck of it.

"Hina, do you know anything about the world outside Gensokyo?"

She shakes her head in response. "All I know is that the humans of Gensokyo originally came from beyond the border. It would better to ask someone like Master Morichika or Mistress Hakurei. They would be much more knowledgeable about the outside world than I would."

So Reimu and Rinnosuke? Other possible people who would know anything included Yukari, Patchouli, Mokou, Kaguya and possibly Keine as well. For a moment you wonder why you care: you're in goddamn Gensokyo, thinking about going home should be furthest from your mind. But then again, you might need to know this for later...

Hina looks up suddenly as if realizing something, and you join her line of view to see that the sky is growing orange in color. "Oh my, I just remembered that I'm on an errand to Mistress Margatroid's, and it's already dusk. Would you like to come along? I'm sure she could let you stay the night if I asked, or at least take you to the village."

[ ] Risk staying under Hina's curse powers to go to Alice's and possibly spend the night. [ ] Try your luck at navigating the Forest of Magic on your own. Maybe you might run into someone else of interest...

[X] Risk staying under Hina's curse powers to go to Alice's and possibly spend the night. [X] Ask Hina about her day, her errand, and about anything that might have happened recently in Gensoukyo. New, tidbits, rumors, anything at all.

[X] Risk staying under Hina's curse powers to go to Alice's and possibly spend the night. [X] Ask Hina about her day, her errand, and about anything that might have happened recently in Gensoukyo. New, tidbits, rumors, anything at all.

[X] Risk staying under Hina's curse powers to go to Alice's and possibly spend the night. [X] Ask Hina about her day, her errand, and about anything that might have happened recently in Gensoukyo. New, tidbits, rumors, anything at all.

[x] Risk staying under Hina's curse powers to go to Alice's and possibly spend the night. [x] Ask Hina about her day, her errand, and about anything that might have happened recently in Gensoukyo. New, tidbits, rumors, anything at all.

[X] Risk staying under Hina's curse powers to go to Alice's and possibly spend the night. [X] Ask Hina about her day, her errand, and about anything that might have happened recently in Gensoukyo. New, tidbits, rumors, anything at all.

[O] Risk staying under Hina's curse powers to go to Alice's and possibly spend the night. [O] Ask Hina about her day, her errand, and about anything that might have happened recently in Gensoukyo. New, tidbits, rumors, anything at all.

[X] Risk staying under Hina's curse powers to go to Alice's and possibly spend the night. [X] Ask Hina about her day, her errand, and about anything that might have happened recently in Gensoukyo. New, tidbits, rumors, anything at all.

I would have liked to seen the bad end we might've gotten if we'd punted the yukkuri, though. Just out of curiosity.

Alice, eh? That's a pretty decent choice to go for, considering the other option has a high chance of becoming youkai food...

"I'll go with you then, Hina. I'm not sticking around here when it's dark, I don't even have anything to protect myself with."

She thus beckons for you to follow, and leads the way through the shrubbery to a well-tread path lined by trees. The yukkuri follows along, surprisingly rather quiet except for an occasional "Yuu!" as it bounces along.

As you walk along, you recall that Hina said she had an errand with Alice, and you ask her about it.

"Oh, I'm simply delivering one of my curse dolls to her for her research. Recently Mistress Margatroid has been stepping up her attempts to make a self-conscious doll. She wishes to examine how I transfer humans' curses into my dolls to see if she can use that for possibly transferring a soul into a doll or something similar."

You file that away into your memory, and go on to ask about her day, only for her to reply that it wasn't eventful at all until she came across you. After a few moments of silence, you get a little lightbulb going off in your head, and you ask Hina whether anything odd is going on in Gensokyo at all.

"Actually, it's interesting that you ask. There has been word floating around of some of the lower-class youkai mysteriously disappearing both at the Youkai Mountains and in the forest near the Hakurei Shrine. Normally one would find remains if they are been hunted by stronger youkai or in rare cases humans, but not a trace has been found."

Now that is indeed something odd. You'll have to keep that in mind; if playing Touhou taught you anything, big shit goes down when there's an Incident. You idly wonder who the playable characters for this one would be.

By now, you have reached a much larger clearing in the forest, which is occupied by a large Victorian-style two-floor house with a sizable front yard and an iron fence surrounding the entire complex. You both come to the front gate, which swings open on its own when Hina steps up in front of it.

You are greeted by a floating doll in a blue and white dress and with long blonde hair, which you recognize as Shanghai, or at least one of the many dolls that resemble her that Alice owns. The Shanghai doll waves you on to follow her, and she floats off towards the house. You and Hina follow obediently. As you near the house, you admire the design of the windows and the oak door with various engraving decorating it. Shanghai opens the door and leads you inside to what you presume to be a study, with shelves lined with numerous books and scrolls, two desks, and a table in the center of it all stacked with books, vials, jars, various papers and other loose ends, several dolls in various states of completion, and the sole occupant in a large chair facing away from you. You can see the blonde top of her head just over the back of the chair.

This writefag has finally returned from ten days in hell, also known as Butthole, Oklahoma.

---

You decide to keep quiet and wait patiently; you figure Alice knows Hina was coming, so you figure she should be the one to announce your arrival. However, Alice is the first to speak.

"Hello, Hina... and our unexpected guest. Please, take a seat."

She raises a hand, donned in a long and white fingerless glove, to motion towards the two chairs across the table from her. Hina and you both circle the table, and you finally get your first look at your hostess.

Short wavy blonde hair adorned by a red and white hairband atop her head, blue-purple eyes peering back at you from a cool and passive face, the white mantle draped across her shoulders tied in front with red ribbon, the long blue dress that drops below the edge of the table, all looks as you expected; you maining her in Scarlet Weather Rhapsody has made it so her appearance from there is burned in your mind.

There's some slight differences, however: first, those fingerless elbow gloves... you notice where the glove ends on her fingers are silver rings: you'd swear you saw a brief glint of light a few inches in the air above one of the rings.

The second difference hits you all of a sudden when you look back at her face. Her eyes have changed: no longer a blue-purple, but now more fiery orange in color. Even now as you catch yourself staring, her eyes shift color once again to emerald green.

You and Hina take your seats as Alice continues watching you without a word. Folding your hands in your lap, you return the gaze. You weren't much for staring contests, so you hope this doesn't last long; each second makes you feel more uncomfortable.

At least watching her constantly color-shifting eyes is quite a marvelous sight, the seven-colored puppeteer indeed. She finally closes her eyes for a moment, then upon opening them again she speaks. They're a rather crystal blue color now.

"Welcome to my home. I am Alice Margatroid, a simple maker of dolls. Who may you be?"

[ ] Name yourself

---

P.S. if you're ever in need of a rental truck for moving or have a friend who needs one, avoid U-Haul. U-Haul can go suck its own cock and choke on its balls. Damn faulty trucks breaking down constantly grr...

You respond in a simple fashion: you're no Iku, but you have a decent enough sense of atmosphere, and the one given off by Alice is something of a no-nonsense, straightforward feel. You belatedly notice the Cirno-yukkuri isn't inside with you; it must have been left outside, for good reason.

A small smirk spreads across Alice's face as her orange eyes narrow with a glint.

"That's nice, de Braun, but I didn't ask for your name. I asked who you are."

Oh. Ooh. One of THOSE kind of questions. You clear your throat a bit. You may as well be honest, there's no point in being fake here.

"Uh, well, I'm a college student, and I, uh, like videogames and karaoke."

Alice looked towards Hina with a perked eyebrow.

"Outsider."

Hina nodded in response.

"Outsider."

Alice leaned back into her chair a bit, tapping her steepled fingers together.

"This makes, what, the fourth outsider in the last two months? Yukari must be really, really bored."

She then shrugged, and looking back at you, said, "You probably won't be here for too long, I suppose. Since you don't have anywhere else to be, feel free to stay here in the guest room. Shanghai will lead you there, I have business to talk with Hina."

You feel... inadequated. This is not quite the Alice you imagined, and honestly you feel like a dog getting rubbed the wrong way and then shoved into his kennel.

Shanghai hovers over next to you, as if waiting for you to stand and follow her.

[ ] Obediently follow Shanghai to your room [ ] Ask politely if you can stick around [ ] Make a fuss [ ] Ask to take one of Alice's magic books along with you, surely she knows all about what it means to be alone and bored

[X]Mention you overheard that she was working on creating a fully automated doll [X]Ask politely if you can stick around [X]Offer your scientific knowledge and proficiency in drafting and engineering you've gained from I AM THE BONE OF MY HARD SCIENCE MAJOR

Know your target, guys. The best way to grab Alice's attention isn't by letting her get bored with us and sending us off to a room in her house; it's to mention her work.

Even if she doesn't accept our help, it gives her a reason to talk to us and presumably, she'll appreciate the sentiment.

[X]Mention you overheard that she was working on creating a fully automated doll [X]Ask politely if you can stick around [X]Offer your scientific knowledge and proficiency in drafting and engineering you've gained from I AM THE BONE OF MY HARD SCIENCE MAJOR

[X]Mention you overheard that she was working on creating a fully automated doll [X]Ask politely if you can stick around [X]Offer your scientific knowledge and proficiency in drafting and engineering you've gained from I AM THE BONE OF MY HARD SCIENCE MAJOR

While this seems better than simply being shuffled away, the protagonist just doesn't seem the type for research/science...

>>17620He doesn't? Our hero isn't very clearly defined as he's only just begun his adventure, but I don't see a reason he couldn't be scientifically knowledgeable while still being a laid-back and fun loving individual.

[X]Mention you overheard that she was working on creating a fully automated doll [X]Ask politely if you can stick around [X]Offer your scientific knowledge and proficiency in drafting and engineering you've gained from I AM THE BONE OF MY HARD SCIENCE MAJOR

>>17633R&D is done in steps; we wouldn't just go from "doll controlled by puppeteer" to "artificial intelligent lifeform."

In this case, one of the intermediate steps to her ultimate goal would be making something capable of moving and attacking independently, which should be as easy as pie if you combine modern tech with magic.

At the very least, even if she turns us down, appreciating the design and construction of her work, while politely asking questions and offering criticism is better than just sitting in our room, right?

[x] Mention you overheard that she was working on creating a fully automated doll [x] Ask politely if you can stick around [x] Offer your scientific knowledge and proficiency in drafting and engineering you've gained from I AM THE BONE OF MY HARD SCIENCE MAJOR

No no, you're not just going to be pushed off aside here. You clear your throat, catching Alice's attention away from conversation with Hina.

"If it's alright, might I give you a hand? I heard that you were engaged in research for designing an autonomous doll. I have studied in engineering and could possibly contribute my insight."

Studied in engineering? Charles, you had engineering for barely three weeks then got kicked from the class for attempting to build a miniature Leaning Tower of Penis.

Alice leans her head to one side, resting her chin on the back of her hand as she looks at you eye-to-eye. The faintest of smiles crosses her lips as her eyes brighten.

"Very well. It is rare for one of my guests to show any sort of interest in my work; if they're ever interested, it's merely in the end product and not the work I put into my research."

She stands up, scooping her grimoire into the crook of her arm. Shanghai floats away from you and back to her position hovering over Alice's right shoulder.

"Please follow me, then, both of you."

You follow behind Alice as Hina comes up next to you with a smile. "I did not think you would be one to have knowledge in this area, Master Braun."

The honorific feels odd directed towards you, but it appears that Hina simply treats everyone with the same level of respect.

Alice leads you out of the study into the next room, which is lined with shelves adorned with countless dolls. Some shelves held entirely copies of Shanghai, while others held doll versions of various familiar Touhou characters you know. There was also one shelf on the left side of the room that had larger, very different dolls from the rest, some appearing almost robotic, or ogre-like in appearance.

The multitude of soulless eyes staring into space is rather unnerving.

The three of you come to a plain wood table in the middle of the room, with numerous bits and pieces of doll, tools and odd ends scattered about. There's two spaces that have been cleared away, and both are occupied by a doll.

One space contains a Shanghai, which looks no different from the one hovering next to Alice except for the lack of movement, and those soulless eyes. The other Shanghai at least has some life to her eyes, although that may just be its version of an "ON" light.

In the middle of the other space is another female doll, but this one has short blonde hair in ringlets, and is adorned in a red and black dress sans apron. In the doll's hair are two red ribbons, as compared to Shanghai's one.

Alice stops in front of the Shanghai, and turns to the both of you.

"As you both now know, I am working on trying to make a self-aware, self-motivated, and self-sustaining doll. So far I've met with little success, as I have no way to permanently give life to the doll. I've tried certain types of magic, but the best result only resulted in a minute of self-activity, with no sign of awareness or sentience."

Alice crossed her arms with a frown. "So, since my own efforts seem to be going nowhere fast, I've been studying outside sources, including Hina's curse powers."

As Alice talks, your eyes wander down to the red doll that sits untouched across the table. You notice a octagonal plate of sorts on the doll's dress in the chest area. There appears to be a small opening in the middle of the octagon as well.

Alice waves down towards the lifeless Shanghai. "Hina, if you would..."

Before Hina can raise a hand, you speak up after a thought suddenly crossed your mind.

"Wasn't there a doll youkai that lived in some flower valley? Have you tried researching her?"

Alice affixes her gaze on you again, her eyes again that clear crystal blue, betraying little emotion. You have a feeling that she's analyzing you now.

"You know more than I would expect. This has happened before as well, with a previous outsider. Is there some method that the outside world is able to have knowledge of Gensokyo and her inhabitants?"

Alice's reversal catches you off-guard, and you take a moment to formulate a response. You don't think it would hurt to let her know this, so you respond truthfully.

"Well, uh, to put it simply... before I got here, you were all just a game to me. A fictional world and story. I sometimes fantasized about what if Gensokyo were real, but I never thought it would turn out to be true."

Alice closes her eyes, seemingly thinking over your response. After a few moments, she opens them. Emerald green again. She lets out a sigh before speaking.

"The doll youkai you mention is named Medicine. She was one of the first I thought of going to when I decided to look outwards for progress, but that was a quick deadend. She despises humans, and despite my making The Pact some time ago, she still considers me as a human."

She shrugs. "Plus those poison lilies she lives in are a great... discomfort. The entire valley is poisonous, both to touch and breathe, and I would rather not spend so much effort to forcefully use her if a more compliant and ready option is still available."

Well, that's that on that. You almost want to move on and ask about the Hourai doll, but you have already distracted Alice for a bit with your first question. Again, Alice waves towards the inert Shanghai, signaling Hina to begin.

Raising her arms towards the ceiling, Hina spins slowly in place as wisps of black smoke-like energies waft out from under her sleeves and under her dress' hem, drifting up into a spot in the air between her hands.

Four times she rotates, until a black sphere the size of a softball hung in the air above her. That's right, that must be the physical representation of the curses she imbibes in order to transfer them to her vessel dolls.

That brings something else to mind that you remember about Hina. Isn't she supposed to, by no fault of her own, cause misfortune to those around her due to the curses she carries within her? Since you met her, the least pleasant thing to occur was having that yukkuri annoy you for a short while. Is that really the level of misfortune that happens? Just a little inconvenience?

Somehow you're not willing to believe that as Hina directs the happy little ball of curses into the waiting Shanghai doll. The ball doesn't actually go into the doll immediately, instead it breaks upon contact, like if it were a ball of jelly. The black energies seem to almost squirm and slide over the Shanghai doll's body like some B-movie monster, until the entire doll was covered from head to toe in curse. The thin layer suddenly sinks through the doll's skin, and a moment later the Shanghai looks nothing much different.

Except the sclera of the doll's eyes being pure black and the iris being inhumanly yellow.

Except the doll suddenly coming to life, clambering to her feet and hunched over slightly. She stumbles around a bit on the worktable, almost in a dazed stupor.

For a moment she stops, her body faced in your direction, head lolling towards the ground. In the next second, she brings her head up, and your eyes meet. You both stare at each other, unmoving, for a good five seconds or so.

You find yourself suddenly recalling there were some movies about cursed dolls and chainsaws and blood and other very-not-good things.

The doll crouches for a moment in those cute little mary janes she's wearing(why you suddenly took notice of that now, you do not know) and then springs into the air at you, mouth agape and hands outstretched. Yet, entirely silent. The silence bothers you even more than the doll coming for your face.

---

[ ] Raise your arms to block Shanghai's charge. It's just a doll, right? [ ] Duck! Maybe you're quick enough to avoid her entirely. [ ] Throw out a punch to try and knock her down before she can get to you. [ ] Try to catch her. Maybe you can hold her in a way that keeps her pinned while Alice and Hina come to your aid.

With no time to think about it, you throw up both hands as if catching a ball, and feel the doll's weight impact on your palms. You bring your arms in smoothly with Shanghai's momentum, and find yourself holding her snugly against your chest.

You subconsciously hold your breath, half-fearing a hole suddenly being burrowed through your torso. But no, there's nothing except the doll wriggling somewhat in your grasp, but it doesn't feel strong or desperate like she's trying to escape.

You glance at Alice and Hina, both are wide-eyed and watching you intently; the former has her hand out with her fingers splayed open: two other Shanghai dolls hover in the air in front of her.

Looking down at the cursed Shanghai, you come eye-to-eye with her once more. She seems to be smiling at you, with a little snaggletoothed fang visible. Despite the pretty demonic-looking eyes and - as you now notice up close - the much paler complexion, she still looks like any other Shanghai doll.

"Well, she's not tearing my throat out, so..." you venture to say.

Alice lowers her hand, and the two Shanghai dolls hover back to a place above each of her shoulders. "That was an unexpected occurrence, but not entirely unwanted. She seems to move on her own, and I only assume for now that she is aware. I will have to study her further before I can verify if this is the proper method for my project."

She walks over to where you are standing and leans over to peer at the cursed Shanghai. For her part, the doll just stares back inquisitively.

"I assume the change in complexion and eyes are a side-effect of using curses to animate her..." Alice mutters more as a statement than question.

Hina shrugs with her hands held up in response, "Forgive me, but I cannot be much help on this. When I transfer curses into my nagashi-bina, they really only serve as vessels. They are not sentient or self-motivating, but more like golems that can perform tasks and understand orders, but little else. Ultimately when they die, the curse vanishes. This however, is an entirely different vessel than one specifically designed to carry curses. Thus, I think all we can do is just wait and observe."

Pulling Shanghai away from your bosom as Hina speaks, you hold your palms up with her sitting atop them like a stool. You pose a question, to see if she can comprehend speech or not.

"Can you fly?"

Again she smiles, this time also nodding vigorously. A moment later, her body lifts into the air as if on invisible strings, and in a lazy fashion circles above your head. After two revolutions, she settles down on your left shoulder, her thin legs hanging over the front in a somewhat precarious position.

"So she can comprehend speech and can perform self-motivated tasks. There is a good possibility she's self-aware, but not certain yet on self-sustaining. However, this is definitely good progress." states Alice as she watches the two of you. "I suppose for now I'll take Hina's suggestion to wait and watch. Charles, I would like for you to stay here for a time as part of my research."

Well, that's perfectly fine with you. A place to stay would be pretty important if you're going to be in Gensokyo for some undetermined time.

"That's fine with me. I'm not really overflowing with options right now."

Alice's eyes flickered to orange for a moment before returning to green. Before the three of you head out of the workshop, she walks over to the red-dressed Hourai doll and picks it up, carrying it to a spot on one of the many shelves, this one containing several dolls of similar appearance. Only the Hourai doll Alice was holding, however, had that strange eight-sided plate on its front.

After shelving Hourai, Alice leads you back into the house. You hadn't noticed before, but the workshop seems to be a separate section of the building entirely, with the walls being of a lesser-grade of material than the ones in the study.

By the way, the doll that's sitting atop your shoulder and is now leaning her elbow against your ear could maybe use a name that better defines her than simply "cursed Shanghai."

---

[ ] Think up a new name for her [ ] You'll think of a name later [ ] Shanghai is fine

As the three of you enter the study, Alice says "It's getting close to suppertime. You two can wait here while I go begin making dinner, unless you have any plans Hina?"

Hina gives a negative in response, and you're not about to turn down Alice's hospitality.

While waiting, you try to think up a name for the cursed Shanghai. You're void of all that many ideas, though, and naming her Bakersfield, Nevada or San Diego don't appeal too much... well, Nevada's not too bad.

"Hey, you don't happen to have a name already, do you?"

Alice, who had disappeared into another room(the kitchen, of course,) calls back matter-of-factly, "No name, she's just another Shanghai series doll. I'll let you name her if you want."

Well there goes that notion. For another minute or so, you cross your arms and close your eyes, waiting for a ray of inspiration to hit you. Meanwhile, the doll hovers up off your shoulder to hang in the air in front of you, waiting earnestly with some anticipation in her yellow eyes.

Waitaminute... a ray of insp-

"Oh, oooh. Hey, how do you like the name Rae?" you say with some eagerness as you look up at your miniature companion. For her part, the little doll's face brightens, and she nods her head with a wide smile on her face.

"Then, nice to meet you Rae," you say as you hold out an index finger towards her. She pauses for a moment, before clasping one hand around the digit and shaking it twice, before letting go and tackling your chest again. Once more, you catch her in your arms like a kitten, but she squirms out of your grasp and climbs back onto your shoulder.

For a time, you wonder why Rae took such an interest in you right after she gained awareness. The closest idea you can think of is that she somehow imprinted on you as being the first person she saw, and thus considers you like a parent. Possibly.

Just then, you catch a whiff of something good from the doorway Alice went through. Something like food. Hot and savory, your nose tells you.

You can't help your stomach growling, and Hina, who had taken a seat at the desk, stifles a giggle. You look over at her and note that she's reading one of Alice's books.

---

[ ] Ask what Hina is reading [ ] Go see what Alice is cooking up and offer to help [ ] Browse through some of the things on the desk

Taking a seat opposite Hina, you watch her for a bit, while also trying to read the title of the book from your angle. Unfortunately, it seems to be written in another language, which you suspect to be Latin from what little knowledge you have about languages.

She flicks her gaze up towards you as she lowers the book slightly. "Are you interested in this, Master Braun?"

"I'm just curious what you're reading, Hina. I can't really read the title of the book."

"It is one of Mistress Margatroid's research journals. I wished to look up some of her previous research on doll automation."

On a second glance, you can see that the book does have a lighter look to it than an encyclopedia or hardback novel. "Anything of note in there?"

"Not pertaining to what happened in the workshop, unfortunately. I was mainly trying to see if she had made any progress in containment or vessel research, namely for holding the life source she wished to use to animate her dolls. As far as I know, Rae is an ordinary Shanghai doll that Mistress Margatroid meant simply to be used as a test to see if planting a live curse would have any effect. I do not think either of us expected it to actually work."

She let out a sigh. "That, in effect, means we are running blind at the moment. This is likely why she wanted you to stay here, Sir, so she could keep close tabs on both you and Rae in case anything untoward happened."

Well that's dandy. Maybe Hina can share some information about curses or her own dolls. However, it seems dinner's almost ready from the sounds you can make out in the kitchen.

You have time to ask ONE of the following questions now. You will have a chance later to ask about the other. No write-in option this time.

[ ] Ask Hina about the curse she released into Rae [ ] Ask Hina about what happens to her Nagashi-bina dolls after she releases curses into them

You ask Hina if she can tell you anything about the curse she released into Rae. Setting the journal down, Hina closes her eyes briefly before looking you in the eye.

"This particular curse is actually quite an old one I collected before the great Hakurei Border was created. It was a young man a bit younger than you whom came to me to cleanse his misfortunes. Apparently he had lost several comrades in the wars that ravaged Japan and suspected a curse might be affecting him."

She lets out a sigh at recalling the memory. "He was correct in his suspicions, and I made sure to collect his misfortunes to alleviate his conscience. I think he was afraid that it wasn't a curse, and that his own actions were what had caused his friends to die. Unfortunately, some time later I happened to meet one of his surviving friends, whom told me that he had died to save another not too long after we had parted."

She then perks up as she finishes the story. "However, I learned later that he had been sent to Hakugyokurou after crossing the Sanzu, and received favor from Lady Yuyuko. He still lives here in Gensokyo and visits me from time to time."

Suddenly, Alice's voice rings out from the kitchen, announcing that dinner was ready. Standing up, Hina places a hand up to her mouth as she says, "Oh my, forgive me for rambling on with my story. Shall we?"

You roll the information around in your head. So, the curse was from some ancient Japanese warrior which caused his friends to all die in battle. That's totally not some kind of dark foreshadowing there, nope.

You join Hina in entering the kitchen, where Alice is placing a large pot on the dining table, which has three place sets all prepared with bowls and silverware. Some Shanghai dolls are floating about, putting away ingredients and doing other small tasks. The two of you take seats opposite each other as Alice sets two side dishes out on the table as well. Soon after, two Shanghai dolls bring a basket of bread rolls to the table as Alice joins you in the third seat.

"I haven't had a homecooked meal in a while," you remark as Shanghai skillfully ladles out stew for both you and Hina. Rae has alighted from your shoulder and sits on the edge of the table where the fourth place setting would have been.

"I assume you eat that "fast food" type of meals on the outside then?" asks Alice as Shanghai fills her bowl. You nod - a bit resigned at that fact - in response, taking your spoon up but waiting politely before eating. Noticing this, Alice tells you to go ahead and begin, and you eagerly comply. The stew is steaming, thick and filled with various pieces of potato, carrots, and other vegetables along with cubes of beef. It has a rich flavor, with just the right balance of spice and salt. It surprises you that Alice knows how to make such a delicious meal, but at the same time you realize that by living alone such a skill would be a necessity.

The three of you take your time eating, as smalltalk springs up between the girls while you keep silent and listen. Rae contents herself with watching the three of you. Once dinner is over, you offer to help clean up but Alice turns down the offer, saying she'll have it all done swiftly with Shanghai. Hina dismisses herself, saying that she needs to return to the mountain before it gets too late.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, Master Braun. I hope to see you again soon," she says to you at the front door, before taking off into the air towards the large mountain you can see in the far horizon. The sky is a mix of orange and purple as the sun is starting to set. Going back inside, you come across Alice as she exits the kitchen, with Shanghai and Rae following her in the air.

---

[ ] ask where your room is [ ] ask what her plan for her research is now [ ] ask if Hina told her about the disappearing youkai

>"However, I learned later that he had been sent to Hakugyokurou after crossing the Sanzu, and received favor from Lady Yuyuko. He still lives here in Gensokyo and visits me from time to time."hooray.jpg ...But why does this sound familiar?

[X] Ask what her plan for her research is now [X] Ask where your room is [X] Ask if you can sleep with her

"Tomorrow, I want to take you to the Hakurei Shrine so we can let Reimu know that another outsider is in Gensokyo so she's aware of the situation. Afterward, I want to spend some time observing Rae. You may or may not be needed for this, we'll find out tomorrow."

"I see... well, I think I've gotten in your hair enough for a day, so can you show me my room?" you ask in response. Alice nods, her warm orange eyes flicking towards Shanghai, who floats forward to lead you.

"Good night, Charles."

You tell Alice goodnight in response, then follow Shanghai to your room. Rae tags along. Upon entering, Shanghai fiddles with an archaic-looking lamp on the desk, which suddenly bathes the room in light. Without giving it much thought, you strip off your clothes after Shanghai leaves, forgetting Rae's presence. It doesn't seem to affect her though, as she watches you with the same curious puppy-dog gaze she's had on for most of the day since "waking up." Anyway, you still have your boxers on.

"I'll need to see about getting more clothes, preferably something more Gensokyo-appropriate. Can't say I'd argue against a nice suit or something similar," you mumble to yourself as you look around the room. It's probably the most plain room in the house, only populated by a small western-style bed, a barren desk with the lamp on it, a chest of drawers, and a bookshelf with a few books. You fiddle around with the lamp, looking for how Shanghai turned it on. There's no cord, nor any way you can tell for it to be lit from the outside like a kerosene lamp would. You set it back on the table, perplexed. Rae floats up to it, and touches her tiny hand to a round spot on the top; a few seconds later, the light starts dying down.

"Must be something magic, then..."

As darkness creeps both in the room and outside through the window, you crawl into the bed and prepare to doze off. For a second you think Rae might try to join you, but she seems content to situate herself on the desk facing you.

Facing away from the desk as consciousness starts to fade away, you don't notice that Rae's yellow eyes glow in the dark.

The rays of sunlight pouring in through the window warm your forehead. Attempting to blink away your drowsiness, you raise a hand to block the sunlight as you look around at the large room. It's the same as it was last night, down to the desk you're still sitting on, and the bed where Papa is still sleeping away.

Clambering to your little feet, you hover up off the desk in a listless manner, and float on over to the bed. Looking down at his slumbering form, you notice the crook of his arm is placed just right if you wanted to snuggle up in there. Surely Papa wouldn't mind if you joined him in bed until he woke up.

You squint your yellow eyes in a bit of glee as you:

[ ] Snuggle into the crook of his arm [ ] Sprawl out on his forehead [ ] Wiggle in deep under the covers

The rays of sunlight pouring in through the window warm your forehead. Attempting to blink away your drowsiness, you raise a hand to block the sunlight as you look around at the large room. It's the same as it was last night, down to the bed you're lying in... except for a new addition. In the crook of your other arm, Rae has squeezed in snugly with her dainty doll arms stretched out vainly in an attempt to hug your body.

Your heart flutters at the sight for just a moment. Instinctively, you embrace her closer to you. Rae shifts slightly, but makes no sound.

At that moment, there's a knock at the door and you can hear Alice's voice.

"Charles, have you woken up? You should get yourself cleaned up, I have breakfast almost ready. The washroom is down the hall to your left from this room."

You hear footsteps walk away from the door. Moving carefully, you slide out of bed as you shift Rae's head onto the pillow, her body half-tucked under the sheets.

Looking down at yourself momentarily, you're glad she didn't try to explore underneath the covers. You grab your clothes and head out into the hallway, holding them in front of your waist for decency's sake.

There's a couple doors on both sides of the hall to your left, with one door left open. To your right, you hear sounds from the kitchen.

--- [ ] Go left [ ] Go right [ ] Go back to the bed where Rae is an- Sorry, not an option

You could probably use a refreshing bath and Alice will probably be done cooking by the time your done, but it does cut done on time to talk to Alice. I'm sure there will be plenty of time to talk to her later however.

You go left, find that the open door leads to the washroom. Fifteen minutes later, you exit the washroom after having taken a refreshing shower and dressing yourself. Not much you can do about a new change of clothes at the moment though.

Walking past your room, you notice Rae float out after you, grabbing hold of your sleeve as you both continue to the kitchen. This time Alice hasn't waited for you, and is currently assaulting a plate of pancakes. She glances up at you, gesturing towards the opposite chair with her fork. You take your seat and grab some pancakes for yourself.

"I wish I could cook stuff as well as you can," you remark after finishing off one pancake. "The best I can manage is ramen or some tex-mex stuff."

After a few minutes, Alice sets down her fork. A couple Shanghai dolls float by and clear away her empty plate and silverware. Soon after, you finish up as well.

After making sure the dishes were put away, Alice tells you that you both will head up to the Hakurei Shrine now to let Reimu know what's going on.

"By the way, while we're out, is there somewhere I can get another set of clothes? These'll probably get rather... pungent if I have to keep wearing them," you ask.

"The human village is close by the shrine. We can stop there later to get some things."

The two of you leave the house as the conversation continues: both Shanghai and Rae follow along, drifting around each other in lazy, wide zig zags and circles.

Alice leads you in a different direction than the one Hina had brought you from. The wildlife has been awake for a while now(including the occasional yukkuri scurrying through the bushes nearby,) and you can hear the sounds of various birds in the treetops.

You also start to hear someone singing. The melody is coming from your left; Alice seems to have noticed it, and is also looking in that direction.

"Mystia's up rather late today, usually she's gone to sleep by now," remarks Alice. That's right, Mystia is a night sparrow, so she would have a nocturnal wake pattern, wouldn't she?

"Do you want to go see how she's doing?" you put forth as a suggestion. Alice hmms to herself, before shaking her head.

"I doubt there's anything wrong. Maybe something good happened recently for her and she's just more excited than usual."

---

[ ] Press Alice further about going to see Mystia [ ] Nevermind Mystia for now, you have to get the Shrine

You decide to push the issue, telling Alice that there's no hurry and that you can take a few minutes to go see Mystia.

"Alright then. I haven't spoken with her for a few days now, it'd be nice to see what she's up to."

The two of you follow the melody to its source. Up on the branches of a tree and leaning against the trunk is Mystia, her eyes closed as she sings a wordless song with a strong and fast tempo. You both wait until she finishes, whereupon she opens her eyes and looks down.

"Hi Alice!" she chirps, as she hops down to ground level. She's about the same height as Alice.

"You seem in high spirits Mystia. You're still awake, even."

Mystia crosses her arms and lets loose a cocky grin. "There's a fun story behind that. I had an awesome battle last night, even more epic than when I get to fight Marisa. I dunno who this chick with the parasol was, but that was some insane shit she was throwing all over the place. I ended up losing in the end, but that was some of the most fun I've had in a long time."

Parasol...? The manner of Mystia's speech is a bit surprising to you as well. Mystia glances at you for a brief second before looking back towards Alice with a sneer.

"You've got a human with you again, Alice." It wasn't a question. "That's nothing new, Mystia. He's a guest. I'm taking him up to the Shrine.""Oh... oooh. One of those, huh? I'll tag along if you don't mind, outsiders tend to be a lot more entertaining than the usual cattle."

You don't like the fact that you're being referred to as livestock, but at the same time you're not in the mood for a fight. Especially when you catch a glimpse of how long and pointy her claw-like nails are...

The three of you make it to the Shrine without incident. You can see the main building up ahead, with a small building off a bit behind the shrine. There's a girl in a traditional red and white miko robe sweeping the grounds, but you can immediately tell it's not Reimu... because last you checked Reimu didn't have long, luxurious blue hair.

The three of you approach the girl, Alice in the center with you and Mystia on opposite sides of her. Rae and Shanghai still float along behind you.

"Good morning Tenshi. Is Reimu inside?"

While it's a bit tougher to recognize her without her rainbow-gem dress and peach-adorned hat, after Alice says her name you can definitely see it. It takes Tenshi a second for Alice's greeting to register; she seems to have been staring off into space daydreaming.

"Oh, oh, hello Alice. Yes, Reimu is inside right now with Suika. Please don't tell her I was spacing out again." Tenshi finishes with a plea. Apparently she gets in trouble if Reimu finds out she's slacking. Also apparently, she's working for Reimu for whatever reason.

"I won't tell her. Just get back to cleaning, alright?""Okay, thank you Alice," sighs Tenshi in relief. Is the punishment from Reimu for such a minor offense that bad? You're now having doubts about meeting her.

It seems Mystia has already gone ahead. You can see her up near the rear building talking with a short, redheaded girl with twin horns. Suika.

You follow Alice towards the back of the building. Inside, you find Reimu sitting at the table, with a stack of paper slips in front of her. She is in the midst of writing something on one of the slips with a brush. She's humming to herself, and seems to be in a good spirit.

"Good morning Reimu," greets Alice with a wave. Reimu continues to make small strokes with the brush, not even looking towards the either of you

"Morning to you Alice. I wasn't aware you'd gotten hitched."

One of Alice's eyebrows tweaks slightly, but otherwise she makes no indication of acknowledging Reimu's poke. "Reimu, this is Charles. He's an outsider."

Reimu's eyes shift sideways to lock onto you, her hand pausing in midair for a few seconds. She strips you apart with her gaze, before returning to her brush strokes.

"I was wondering what that ripple was yesterday, but I guess I should recognize it by now. Once I finish these charms I'll take you back over to the other side."

Alice shakes her head. "No no, I don't want him sent back just yet, Reimu. I need him to stick around a bit since he's gotten involved in my research."

Reimu finally looks up at Alice askance. "That's an odd request, Alice. But if that's what you want, I don't really care either way..."

Basically this choice helps determine the first set of possible "recruits" to your team, and any "quests" to undertake. If you go to the village first, you'll get a chance later on to get someone from the shrine, but that could be much later...

A hint for each location: Shrine = Hisou-something Village = An occasional visitor

The two of you go back outside, and circle the main building until you find yourselves out front again. Tenshi is still there, now earnestly sweeping away leaves. However, it's an uphill battle as a strong wind is blowing, pushing leaves and dust back onto the stone right after Tenshi clears them.

Sighing in defeat, Tenshi drops her arms loosely as she stares at the leaves that offend her so, doing her best to intimidate them with a scowl. As the two of you draw near, she looks up, her face falling into a more neutral expression.

"H-hi."

You ask her why she's here at the shrine working for Reimu.

"Uh, after I kinda destroyed her shrine, she came and kicked my ass across the sky. So I rebuilt it as an apology.""But why are you still here if you made up your debt?"Tenshi fidgets, playing with her fingers as she stares down at the ground, a soft pink blush spreading across her face.

"I... I'm kinda banned from Heaven right now.""Wait what."

You'd swear you could see her hair frazzling itself as she spills her story out in a rush.

You take a few moments to digest and translate what she just verbally regurgitated at you. So Tenshi is grounded for the incident she caused and for stealing the Hisou-no-Tsurugi. Now she's stuck working for Reimu because she has nowhere else to go, and Reimu took away the sword as insurance that Tenshi would stay.

That dastardly miko. An idea formulates in your head with swiftness that would make Aya jealous.

"Hey, Alice, I know I'm just a guest and all... but think we could have Tenshi stay with us instead? I mean, she already paid off her debt to Reimu, and it sounds like Reimu's just taking advantage of her situation now."

Alice crossed her arms, her grimoire tucked in the crook. "I'm not against the idea, persay... and Reimu should be handling her own chores and taking care of the shrine. Besides, she already has Suika and sometimes Cirno around. Well, I don't mind, really."

The transformation on Tenshi's face is quite the sight to behold. You'd swear she's mere seconds away from kissing Alice's boots. While you'd love to see that, there's more that needs to be said.

"Okay, so Alice is cool with this. But what about that sword, Tenshi? You'll need that if you're ever going to get back into Heaven.""Uhh... Reimu said she hid it somewhere on the shrine grounds. She wouldn't say where, but that it's 'in a place no one would ever look for it.'"

You'll have to find a time to try and search for the sword, then. "Do you think you can handle staying here a bit longer, Tenshi?"

Tenshi purses her lips together fretfully. "I can manage... I just really want to leave soon though."

"Okay. I'll come back to help you look for the sword, and once we find it I'm getting you out of here."

Tenshi grabs your hand tightly with both of hers as she looks upon you like a lost cave explorer would the light glimmering from an exit. Your heart only skips twice at just how pretty Tenshi is up close; smooth, alabaster skin, soft and shapely pink lips, shimmering blue silky hair, and vibrant red eyes.

"Thank you, soooo much! And I don't even know who you are!""Me? My name's Charles Von Braun. A... visitor to Gensokyo, so to say.""Thank you for your help, Charles. Or, can I call you Charlie?""S-sure."

Tenshi lets go of your hand and steps back, picking up the broom and bowing to you. "Thank you, Charlie! I'll see you soon then."

As she returns to sweeping, now with a much brighter aura about her, you turn back towards the rear of the shrine. Alice asks, "What are you doing?"

"I kinda want to say hello to Suika while I'm here.""I'll say this now. I don't think I'll get used to you knowing everyone's names and other details already without having actually met them here."

You find Suika and Mystia in the back... and both girls are tipping back drinks. You glance at Suika... okay, she's not a good indicator. You look at Mystia's face instead, who gives you a dark, half-lidded glare in return. Okay, she's really flushed. They must've hit Suika gourd not long after you had arrived at the shrine.

---

[ ] Stick around the drunkards a bit [ ] Reimu, then head to the village

Note: I changed Charles' name slightly. I apologize for the terribly late update, as I had no drive to write over the last several weeks.

You decide to stick around a bit and see if the drunkards do anything amusing. Alice stands by patiently.

Mystia is still glaring at you, and suddenly lurches to her feet.

"Hey you, th-, the human-type human! Whaddya standin' around here for stoopid, I dun, I don't like yuh-, I don't like you types!"

Suika bellows a laugh as she clambers to her feet as well and saunters over to you. "Hey hey, don't mind Mystia, she can't hold her drink too well. Why doncha have a bit of the firewater too? Perk ya up some, maybe grease some of yer gears."

She offers the gourd to you with a lopsided grin, a bit of spittle dribbling from the corner of her mouth.